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The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Empire of the Sun (1987) in Movies

Apr 1, 2018

Empire of the Sun (1987)

1987 | Drama, History, War

8.4

(14 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Iconic, and Old, but still great... War still sucks.... especially for kids

This is Spielberg's attempt at cinematography as the primary objective. This film is a visual work of art and you are swept along from beginning to end. Yes, the tale lingers too long in spots and you never know what's going to happen next. But, if you're willing to give up the expected and trivial for lush visual images and interesting showcases of character, you'll see that here. I can't imagine coming of age in the middle of a war, but this movie lets me experience it even if I don't want to and it's still artistic. They say that a ton of great art comes from great suffering... maybe that's why there are so many great films about war.

Speaking of art here's an alternate movie poster.

Kudos

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Priest (2011) in Movies

Oct 8, 2018

Priest (2011)

2011 | Action, Fantasy, Horror

7.1

(34 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Stylish but badly executed

This film was such a disappointment. On paper the premise of priests versus vampires sounds like it could be fairly promising, but sadly in reality they just don’t manage to pull it off. Some of the set and costume design is quite good and the cgi is a lot better than I ever would’ve thought on something like this. However the plot is horrendous. It doesn’t make a massive amount of sense and has a very short run time to fit in any explanation. The ending too is also over far too quickly. It touches on how a alternate dystopian future would look if governed by the Church, and this for me was the most interesting part of this entire film. The problem is that they barely touch on this side which is such a shame.

Kudos

David McK (3557 KP) rated Last Human (Red Dwarf #3) in Books

Jan 28, 2019

Last Human (Red Dwarf #3)

Doug Naylor | 1995 | Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

The third and, unfortunately, least of the 4 Red Dwarf books, I actually read this one last, thinking it was book 4 of 4.

Written by Doug Naylor (who co-wrote the first 2 booms with Rob Grant), this follows an all-new plot with certain scenes lifted from the TV show on which it is based. Unfortunately, it fails to capture the humour of the show, with most of the 'funny' bits falling flat.

Both this and the next book (Backwards by Rob Grant) are perhaps best viewed as alternate third books in a trilogy: if that is the case, Backwards is the better of the two, even if neither of the two books in question live up to the first two. In short, the whole (Grant Naylor) is better than the sum of the parts!

Kudos

David McK (3557 KP) rated Backwards (Red Dwarf #4) in Books

Jan 28, 2019 (Updated Sep 17, 2019)

Backwards (Red Dwarf #4)

Rob Grant | 1996 | Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.2

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

The third Red Dwarf book, picking up from where the previous entry ('Better Than Life) left off, with Dave Lister on earth in an alternate reality where time runs backwards.

More so than either of the previous two books, this novel has a plot all of its own, with that plot containing elements of the TV show on which it is based. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the final portion of the book, which takes the episode 'Gunmen of the Apocalypse' as it's basis. The novel also has a role to play for 'Ace' Rimmer, tracing how his life differed from Arnold Rimmer's back to a single event in his childhood.

Written by only one of the two authors responsible for the previous books, this is also not quite as funny as either of those books.

Kudos

Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Brightburn (2019) in Movies

Jul 8, 2019

Brightburn (2019)

2019 | Horror

7.0

(63 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Doesn't shy away from the violence and gore. (0 more)

What if Superman was evil?

Being born and raised a diehard Superman fan, this trailer piqued my interest. It's a worn premise: What if Superman was evil instead of good? The answered has intrigued storytellers, comic writers, and moviegoers for years. And I feel that this movie answers it well. The best part of the film is that it doesn't shy away from the gruesome violence and gore that would ensue when one with these powers decided to use them for evil. Each member of the main family plays their role well, their internal conflict over the happenings constantly evident on their faces. Also, a great job of setting up an ending you expect and then delivering a shocking finale. Wouldn't mind seeing more into this alternate universe.